Clip



July 30, 1940. B, F, CALDWELL 2,209,318

CLIP

Filed lay 17, 1958 wlllll IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented July 1 940 UNITED STATES.

CLIP

njamin Fnnknn Caldwell, sul mangeait., sigfnor toDox-othy llene Caldwell, San Dimas,

Application my rz, 193s.' serial N.. naar 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a clip designed for ,holding articles to be displayed from a supporting wire, rod or the like, for fasteningclothing to.

supporting lines, and for like purposes, one of the objects being to provide a simple and inexpensive device of this character adapted to be produced from a ribbon of resilient metal with-- out undesirable waste of material, the resultant article being compact, easily nested' for packing purposes and having no Vparts likely to injure the fabrics or the like engaged thereby.

It is a further object to provide a clip of this type which, when mounted on a supporting line or rod, can swing freely thereon and at the same time rmly gripV the engaged object so that it cannot be pulled therefrom without rst being released from the gripping action of the clip.

A still further object is to provide an article of this character which does not require the use of supplemental springs and, being made in one piece, avoids vthe use of rivets or the like, weldetc.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists`of certain novel details of con'- struction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention asclaimed.

In the accompanying drawing the preferred forms of the invention have been shown.

In said drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation showing the cli in use for holding a fabric to a supporting line. Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof, the line being shown in section.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3, Figure 1. Figure 4 is a plan lview of the blank from which one of the clips'is formed.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a box or other contaier and showing clipsnested therein, some of the clips heilig broken away. Y

In manufacturing the clip herein described it is preferred to stamp the blanks from a ribbon of resilient metal, the metal being preferably of such a nature as not to stain or otherwise discolor fabrics when placed in contact therewith.

In Fzgure 4 alportion of this ribbon has been indicated by broken lines at R.

In forming a blank it is intended to cut it longitudinally of the ribbon as indicated in Figure 4, the body I being of the same width as the rib- 5 Abon whilezfrom the center of the body `at one end is'extended a tongue 2. The formation of this tongue produces an elongated slot in one end of the next adjoining blank and this slot in the clip has beenY indicated at 3. It is intended 10 to round the ends of the members l formed at the sides of the slot and also to round the free end of tongue 2 as well as the shoulders 5 at the 'base of the tongue.

Following the formation of the blank the same 15 Y alined angular offsets II and I2 extended in op- 25 i posite directions rpectively, the inner sides of the offset II providing concave seats I3 for co'- operation with the concave seat 'I while the oifset portions I2 provide convex seats Il at the outer surfaces of their angles. 'The parts are 30 so shapedY that the offset portions 'I and 8 of tongue 2 extend through the slot 3 between the offset portions of the members I. Thus the offset portions 'I and il cooperate to form a diavmond-shaped opening designed to embrace a 35 supporting line or' rod while the offset portions 3 andIZV cooperate to form a smaller diamond- 1 shaped opening across which the, engaged fabric F or thej like to be supported is adapted to be crimped by the gripping surfaces III and I4. o Obviously the free ends of the members l and tongue 2 diverge so that when the clip is placed on a supporting line Aor the like, these diverging portions will straddle it and will cooperate with said line to spread apart the members of the clip 5 when said'clip is thrust downwardly onto the supporting element S.

'I'hose portions of the clip between the offsets 'I and II and the arch l constitute the handle portion of the clip, the members of this handle 50 ,portion being indicatedat I5.

Should it be desired to fastena-fabric or other material to the support S, said fabric, F, after being placed over the support, can be quickly engaged and held by rst pressing the sides Il of the clip toward each other. This causes the oiset portion of the tongue 2 'and members 4 to move apart so as to provide a clearance between them by shifting theA angle portions 8 and l0 away from each other. Thus Athe vclip can be readily placed astride the supports and the supported article until the support is brought into position between the offsets 9 and Il. The clip is then vreleased and the members 4 and tongue 2 will spring back to normal positions. Portions of the engaged article would be pressed in opposite directions respectively by the .bearing surfaces Il) and Il so that the article Vthus will be crimpedas shown particularly in Figures 2 and 3 and as the two thicknesses of the article arethus'crimped, it is impossible to pull the article from the support and'the clip. Furthermore, as the support S and` that portion of the fabric engaging the support are not gripped by' the clip, said clip and the engaged article are free to rotate about the support as, for example, when subjected to the action of strong air currents.

n Importance is attached to the locking action resulting from the. three-point contact between tively small space, as shown in Figure '5. This `large quantities.

is particularly important because of the reduction in the cost of packing, storing, and shipping In Figure 5 a container for holding nested clips has been indicated at C.

Under 'some conditions it might be desirable to suspend the clips from supports without placing them astride thereof. For this purpose a hook I6 could be struck from the body portion of the clip as shown in Figures 6 and 7 or, if desired,

a slot I1 for receiving a supporting nail or the ends to provide. an elongated compressible handle having at sides, one end of said strip having a central longitudinal slot provided with side members, a tongue extending from the other.

end of the strip supported adjacent to and longitudinally of the slot, said tongue and the members each having oppositely extending angular offsets, the offset portions of the tongue being extended through those portions of the slot between the loiset portions of `the side members, each offset in the tongue. being disposed oppositely to the corresponding offset in the side members and all of the offsets cooperating normally to form transverse angular openings between the tongue and members, said clip being so proportioned that when two or more similar clips are assembled therewith side by side, the onset nortions of one' clip` will fit back of the corresponding onset portions 'of the next adjoining clip and the ilat faces of the adjoining clipwill t together.

' BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CALDWELL. 

